Organized 1885 Official Organ of the Sailors' Union of the Pacific Volume LXXV No. 4 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Friday, April 20, 2012 Navy League of the Cabotage enemies in Guam and Hawai’i U.S. backs essential seek legislation to amend the Jones Act he Jones Act is under at The Hawai’i Shippers Coun- “Although these arguments maritime programs tack again, with a Guam cil on April 12, refloated a pro- seem benign to those not in- The annual policy statement from the Navy League of the United Tpolitician sponsoring leg- posal that died in 2010 to ex- volved in the American mari- States, released last month, voices strong support for the U.S. islation that seeks to dilute the empt Hawai’i, Puerto Rico and time industry, it would open the Merchant Marine and the programs that sustain it. The policy cabotage statute after Senator Alaska from the U.S.-built pro- door to the eventual abolition of statements regarding the merchant marine and the marine trans- John McCain (R-Arizona) failed vision of the Jones Act only for the Jones Act,” said SUP Presi- portation system follows: in a new bid to get the law abol- large, self-propelled oceangoing dent Gunnar Lundeberg. “This THE U.S.-FLAG MERCHANT MARINE ished last month. (See SUP ships. The shippers legislative would totally collapse the U.S. President Gunnar Lundeberg’s proposal is known as the Non- merchant marine, not only in the The U.S.-flag commercial fleet is facing significant challenges. report on page 10.) contiguous Trades Jones Act offshore trades but also in the The ability to access this maritime capability of ships and seafarers Reform (NTJAR—the acronym inland bays, rivers and water- is essential to our national and economic security 95% of the equip- Guam Senator Frank Blas, Jr. is pronounced “Nit-Jar”). This ways. The United States would ment and supplies required to deploy the U.S. armed forces is introduced a resolution in the proposal originated with the then be totally subservient to delivered by ship. U.S. commercial and government-owned ves- Guam legislature on April 4, Hawai’i shippers and does not foreign-flag interests. The Sail- sels, manned by 5,000 U.S. Mariners, played a significant and requesting the unincorporated have a mainland counterpart as ors’ Union of the Pacific, in indispensable role in strategic sealift support for Iraq operations territory’s delegate to the U.S. did previous reform efforts dur- conjunction with the rest of and continue to supply operations in Afghanistan. In today’s ir- House of Representatives, ing the 1990’s with the national maritime labor and industry, regular warfare environment, with increased requirements to sup- Madeleine Bordallo, to intro- Jones Act Reform Coalition, who have spent billion of dol- port and sustain special operations forces, maritime coalition forces, duce a bill that would exempt headed by Rob Quartel. lars to build and maintain with humanitarian assistance/disaster relief operations, a substantial lo- Guam, Puerto Rico, Hawai’i American labor, cannot and will gistics force and commercial sealift capability is needed. and Alaska from the Jones Act The Guam and Hawai’i argu- requirement that vessels em- ments for abolishing the U.S.- not let this occur.” The U.S. commercial fleet includes the 60 ships in the Maritime ployed in the domestic trades be built requirement are the same: “To exempt carriers from the Security Program (MSP), and has grown in capabilities with old built in the United States. that allowing foreign-build ships U.S.-build requirement of the ships being replaced with new, more productive ships. The MSP to participate in the domestic Jones Act is, to paraphrase an old fleet continues to show its value as the most cost-effective source The Jones Act (Section 27 of trades would bring in new ton- Arabian proverb: letting a camel of sealift for the U.S. government and has “answered the call” in the Merchant Marine act of nage, increase competition and get his nose in the tent, his body all emergencies and contingencies. Also, the Voluntary Intermodal 1920) also requires that all do- lower commodity prices for will soon follow,” Lundeberg Sealift Agreement (VISA) provides 135 ships, 213 barges and tugs, mestic waterborne commerce in people living in noncontiguous added. “This is the danger of as well as worldwide inter modal capability. The global reach and the United States be U.S.- jurisdictions due to “assumed” amending this law, which is criti- intermodal expertise of the MSP carriers has proven to be the vital owned, U.S. crewed and U.S.- lower freight rates. cal for the merchant marine.” link in the delivery of equipment and supplies to Afghanistan flagged. through the Northern Distribution Network, bypassing Pakistan. The Maritime Administration’s (MarAd’s) Ready Reserve Force (RRF) and the Military Sealift Command fleet, sized to support Maritime Administration’s budget DoD special mission requirements, include heavy lift, offshore petroleum discharge, auxiliary crane, aviation logistics support and leadership challenged vessels and hospital ships. The Navy League of the United States supports: The following opinion piece was published on April 9, in the Maritime Executive Magazine and the MarEx Newsletter and written by its Editor-in-Chief, Tony Munoz. • The Maritime Security Act that provides the foundation to he 2013 Maritime Ad ment of Transportation’s budget Furthermore, it has insulted the support the U.S. commercial ministration budget is a by $1.4 billion to $98.5 billion maritime sector by appointing a fleet in international trade and Tsaga of the transforma- ($74.5 billion in mandatory and maritime neophyte and political an economically viable U.S.- tion of an entire nation and the $24 billion in discretionary crony as Administrator. flag Merchant Marine for na- hard realities of the “Haves and spending), giving additional in- America’s commercial maritime tional defense and economic se- Have-Nots.” The once-proud frastructure subsidies to the heritage has been dismissed as curity. Maritime Administration now trucking, rail and air sectors. But a relic, and the once promising • The Jones Act and Passen- dwells in cellar-status within the it’s the Administration’s trans- “marine highway,” which could ger Vessel Act, which are im- sixth largest agency of the fed- portation revitalization plan, alleviate highway congestion portant to economic and national eral government while its insuf- which intends to boost DOT’s and air pollution in urban areas, security because they protect ficient budget of $344 million budget by more than 34 percent has instead been replaced by critical national infrastructure becomes a footnote in the ($492 billion) over the next six shortsighted policies that envi- and provide added sealift capac- Obama Administration’s recov- years (2013-2018) and lavish it sion larger trucks transporting ity through the VISA, an ex- ery plan for revitalizing America on “runways, roadways and rail- more tonnage over expanded panded pool of trained and ex- and its transportation infrastruc- ways,” that deliberately and ut- roadway systems. perienced mariners to crew U.S. ture in the 21st Century. terly trivializes the maritime in- While the Arab Spring is hav- Periodicals’ postage paid at San Francisco, CA (USPS 675-180) government-owned sealift assets As the Administration picked dustry by excluding it from the ing profound effects on the de- and help sustain the U.S. ship- at the crumbs provided to the national recovery plan. stabilization of the Middle East, building and repair industrial maritime industry by decreasing In fact, since the Obama Ad- which could ultimately affect oil base that is vital to the U.S. MarAd’s budget by another $5 ministration took office it has and gas supplies to the U.S., Navy and Coast Guard. million next year, it simulta- deliberately pilfered MarAd’s there are also increasing tensions neously increased the Depart- budget by over $107 million. continued on page 4 continued on page 2 ESU News: Pages 6 & 7 Page 2 WEST COAST SAILORS Friday, April 20, 2012 SUP Honor Roll Lest we forget Voluntary contributions from the membership to the following funds: Organization/ West Coast General Fund Sailors Joseph Marusak ............... 50.00 Roy Bradshaw ................. 25.00 Steven Ross ..................... 50.00 Donald Cushing ............... 25.00 Roger Tupas ................... 25.00 Thor Erikson in memory of Ronald Gill ............... 25.00 Political Fund Juan Gonzalez in memory Apolinario Aguirre ........... 50.00 of Jose Sevilla ............... 25.00 Jonathan Anderson-Kaisa .. 40.00 Philip Howell ................... 25.00 Pio Aujero ..................... 100.00 Joseph Marusak ............... 30.00 Emo Aulelaua .................. 40.00 Rich Reed ....................... 25.00 David Connolly ................ 50.00 Angelo Rossano................ 25.00 Donald Cushing ............. 175.00 Kris Skorodynski ............. 20.00 Mike Dirksen .................. 50.00 John Farley .................... 100.00 Gary Gelfgren in memory Dues-Paying of Jack Dalton.............. 100.00 Juan Gonzalez in memory Pensioners of Jack Dalton............... 25.00 Gordon Abbott Book #3785 Walter Harris ................. 100.00 Robert Copeland Book #4763 Noel Itsumaru ................. 50.00 Donald Cushing Book #4777 Hillard Lai ...................... 10.00 Romaine Dudley Book #2593 Gunnar Lundeberg ........... 50.00 Knud Jensen Book #3940 Jason Maji ...................... 50.00 John Jewett Book #4291 Joe Mantanona ................ 20.00 Kaj E. Kristensen Book #3120 Joseph Marusak .............. 100.00 Hannu Kurppa Book #3162 Ryan McLaughlin............ 100.00 James K. Larsen Book #4055 Adrian Minty .................. 10.00 Duane Nash Book #2437 Jason Morris ................... 20.00 John Perez Book #3810 Harry Naeole................... 20.00 Alex Romo Book #3193 In remembrance of Harry Lundeberg - Born in Norway on March 25, 1901. Secretary-Treasurer of the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific from 1935 until his Vince O’Halloran ............ 100.00 Francisco Salvatierra Book #7498 death on January 28, 1957.